NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77: I, Your Father, Refuse to Wear a Hat
Chapter 77: I, Your Father, Refuse to Wear a Hat
Since the girls would be out of commission until at least the early afternoon, Wu decided to drop in on Hiruzen at the Hokage’s Tower. He found the man standing on the roof in his Hokage robes and hat, but he immediately noticed a ‘discrepancy’ despite appearing the same as usual on the surface.
Dropping down behind the man, Wu asked, “Jiraiya gave you his peach? I assume that means he also refused the hat…?”
Though he initially exhaled a chuckle, the smile faded from Hiruzen’s face by the time he turned to face Wu, explaining, “The marriage between you and Tsunade affected him greatly. He has agreed to stay in the village for the duration of the Chunin Exams, but I imagine he will go on a very long journey once they have concluded…”
As he actually had a decent impression of Jiraiya, Wu was more sincere than usual as he lowered his gaze and replied, “I see…” in an ostensibly somber tone of voice. He didn’t regret claiming Tsunade as his own. After all, she really was an incredible woman. However, he would have liked to keep Jiraiya as a ‘colleague’ of sorts. The man was a bit of a pervert, but his information network spanned the Elemental Nations. Losing him as an informant was…regrettable.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and mused, “I heard from a credible source that you’ve been getting along ‘especially’ well with the young Haruno girl and the Yamanaka heiress. It’s starting to seem like the next generation will run rampant with your offspring…”
Regaining a smile, Wu replied, “I won’t deny it. I’m a ‘very’ fortunate man. But don’t worry. I intend to ‘synchronize’ the production of my heirs with the rest of the Clans. That’s how you do things around here, right?”
Nodding his head, Hiruzen offered a curt “Indeed.” before turning to face Konoha as he added, “To ensure a smooth transition from one generation to the next, we generally have each Clan produce successors around the same time. However, as your circumstances are unique, I wasn’t planning to broach the subject unless you hadn’t produced an heir by twenty. I’m assuming Tsunade brought it up…?”
Offering a nod of his own, Wu revealed, “She isn’t in any hurry to produce offspring, so she plans to use the fact I’m not old enough to serve on the Council as an excuse to delay things. The others aren’t exactly prepared for motherhood, either, so I don’t mind waiting a few years. It’s not like it prevents me from having more than a bit of fun with them…”
Exhaling another light chuckle, Hiruzen mused, “It’s good to be young…” before falling silent. Then, in response to Wu’s question about Jiraiya’s refusal to ascend to the position of Hokage, he stated, “I only accepted the peach from Jiraiya as a stop-gap measure, Wu-kun. The aches in my bones may have faded, but my mind hasn’t gotten any younger. It would put my heart at ease if someone accepted this hat within the next couple of years…”
Though he had absolutely no intention of accepting it himself, Wu walked up and stood next to Hiruzen as he asserted, “It won’t be too much longer before someone rises to the challenge. Naruto finally has a reason to get stronger, so if you support the restoration of the Uzumaki Clan and groom him, he will make an excellent successor. There is also Asuma, Kakashi, or even Konohamaru. The cyclops will make a fuss, but his retirement is long overdue…”
“Him and me both…” groaned Hiruzen. As for Wu’s suggestions, he took each of them into consideration before saying, “My son lacks the proper mentality to be Hokage. He has improved considerably since his return from the Twelve Guardians, but he is lazy and more focused on trying to woo his childhood crush than continue improving himself. Kakashi has yet to recover from his past trauma, and Konohamaru is simply too young…at least if I want to retire in the next twenty years. As for Naruto…”
Shaking his head, Hiruzen’s tone softened as he appended, “Naruto has every right to claim this hat if he truly desires it. However, I would much rather he focus on the family he has found than trying to appeal to those who have ‘abandoned’ him. I believe he can overcome it, but Naruto feels a deep mistrust towards the villagers due to their past treatment of him…”
Since it was partly due to an oversight on his part that Naruto was forced to suffer, Hiruzen couldn’t help feeling remorseful. Unfortunately, while there were mystical fruits that could restore a person’s vitality, there was no known medicine for regret. He couldn’t change the past, so the only thing Hiruzen could do now was focus on the future and hope Naruto’s situation continues to improve with time.
Interrupting the old man’s thoughts, Wu asked, “What about Shikaku? He is more than suited to the position, and Kakashi should be able to fill the role of Jonin-Commander until someone more suitable steps up.”
Though he agreed that Shikaku was extraordinarily suited to the position, Hiruzen shook his head and revealed, “The Nara, Yamanaka, and Akamichi Clans regard themselves as vassals of the Sarutobi Clan and protectors of the village. However, their families also own a considerable amount of the land and enterprises in Konoha…”
“Ah…” muttered Wu, understanding what Hiruzen was trying to get at. It would create a pretty extreme conflict of interest if the person in charge of the village’s military also owned and operated many of its businesses. Shikaku would never exploit his position in such a way, but only the future knew its secrets, and even the greatest of Heroes could become villains if pressured.
“I’m starting to see why you’re so frustrated. At the same time, I feel less inclined than ever to accept the position. I would rather give up my right arm and left testis than get roped into doing paperwork and never being able to leave the village. I’m willing to help you prepare a successor, but it sure as the Sun rises won’t be me.”
Exhaling an exceptionally exasperated sigh, Hiruzen groaned, “Yes, you’ve made that very clear, Wu-kun…” before turning to look at the growing boy, adding, “I’ll take you up on your offer to prepare my successor. Just try to have them ready within the next ten—no, make it seven years. Any longer, and I might be tempted to pass this damn hat to Danzo…”
As even five years was more than enough for him to groom someone, Wu replied, “No problem.” before revealing, “I talked with Tsunade earlier this morning, and she has agreed to train Tenten and Sakura as her disciples. Since you were initially considering her for the position of your successor, Sakura could serve as her replacement. She is lacking in many ways, but she has a strong desire to improve and will have the backing of just about every prominent Clan. She’ll also have my direct support, so it’s a win-win for the village…”
Though his motivation for nominating Sakura was because he wanted to fuck her in the Hokage’s office, Wu sincerely believed she was suited to the position. She was serious, intelligent, and Tsunade had gone on the record stating that Sakura would surpass her. Wu had no idea when that would be, but the thought of Sakura ‘surpassing’ the woman he regarded as having the highest value was enough to make him want to rush back to the Senju Clan Compound and fuck both of their brains out…
Not expecting Wu to nominate Sakura, a civilian-born Shinobi whose only merits thus far were her Academy grades and Chakra Control, a conflicted look marred Hiruzen’s face. However, as he had effectively ‘entrusted’ the matter to Wu, he replied, “If you and Tsunade believe she is suited to the position, I’ll trust your judgments. If nothing else, she will have a powerful backing…”
Snorting through his nose, Wu retorted, “She’ll also have an amazing ass. Not that you’ll ever have the pleasure of admiring it…”
Understanding that Wu was trying to lighten the mood, Hiruzen burst out laughing. Unfortunately, before he could engage the boy further, one of his Anbu guards appeared to inform him that a representative from Kumo wished to speak with him. He gave Wu a ‘knowing’ look upon hearing this but merely wished his young protege well before returning to his office…
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Unaware that her future had been decided for her, Sakura awoke earlier than the other girls, an absentminded expression on her face as she took in the naked forms of Ino and Hinata before surveying her surroundings. Hinata had previously informed them that the room belonged to the First Hokage, so she couldn’t believe she had spent the entire night having sex in such a ‘sacred’ location…
Looking down at her body, Sakura pressed her hand to her abdomen as memories of the past six days resurfaced in her mind. She had never felt more ‘fulfilled’ in her entire life, but there was also a lingering discomfort in her chest knowing that her first crush had spurned her. Wu was slowly filling the hole Sasuke had created, but she imagined it would be months, potentially even years before she got over their breakup completely.
Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Sakura gave Ino and Hinata one last glance before carefully crawling out of bed, retrieving her discarded bathrobe, and tiptoeing out of the room. She wanted to sleep in, but as the ‘weakest’ member of their growing group, she knew she had to work extra hard to keep up. Wu’s praises always made her heart flutter, but it was difficult to take them seriously when ‘everyone’ outclassed her.
After reaching the room she had been given the previous night, Sakura took a moment to fish through her bags, retrieving a pack of baby wipes, a pair of dark purple spats, and a matching sports bra. Then, after giving her body a quick wipe-down, she donned the training outfit and began a fairly intense workout routine that incorporated elements of Strong Style and the Diffusion Fist. She had learned a few elementary Earth and Water Release Ninjutsu, corresponding with her Chakra Affinities, but her limited reserves meant she could only fire off a few before exhausting herself. As a result, her preferred method of combat was Taijutsu, incorporating each of the techniques Wu had taught her while trying to develop a style of her own.
Despite her small size, only 149.3cm, each of Sakura’s punches and kicks appeared to distort the air as they produced visible waves of pressure. The technique she was trying to master incorporated her ‘above-average’ Chakra Control and the ‘locking’ techniques Wu had demonstrated in the past. By solidifying the air around her, she could create an invisible suit of armor and extend her attacks far beyond the reach of her fists. The force of the blows was significantly weaker than a direct strike, but her mastery of the Diffusion Fist bridged the gap. If she focused all of her strength on a single point…
Throwing all of her weight into a punch, Sakura’s fist appeared to impact the air itself, arresting her forward momentum and causing visible cracks to appear in the membrane formed by her Chakra. The physical strain on her arm and shoulder muscles caused Sakura to tear up, but by pushing through the pain, she was able to produce a wave of vibrations that would have a debilitating effect on anyone within the affected area. If they were unlucky enough to be hit…well, not even Sakura was entirely certain what would happen. All she knew was that the boulder she tried it on ended up shattering into more pieces than she had the patience to count…
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(A/N: The MC has his priorities in order…)